From what I remember, when I went in the DL had already expired (I apparently went in on the day or very soon after it expired) and was no longer valid, therefore I had to apply for a new one. They first asked if I had the old license, which I dutifully handed over, then they in return handed over a form to fill out and told Me I would need a BC along with the properly filled-out form for a new license.
Why would I need a BC? Because the old license was expired and I had to apply for a new one.
"What? Why do I have to provide a birth certificate when I already had a driver's license issued from way back then?"
"The laws have changed. You have to provide CURRENT proof of identity before you can be issued a new license."
"But I already proved who I am -you just now took the license."
"It's expired."
"But it proves who I am!"
"It's expired. It's no longer valid."
"But you can verify just by the picture!"
"It's an expired license, which means it is no longer valid to use."
"What about a simple ID then?"
"It's expired, which means you can no longer use it for driving or identification purposes. You can apply for a California ID, but you still need a birth certificate, passport, or other form of ID before we can issue you one. However, it is the holidays so our system will probably not be completely updated until the holidays are past, so you should probably get your documentation in here as soon as they are over."
"Then just give the old one back until then."
"It's expired, and no longer valid."
...
I walked out before I got into much more trouble than I thought would be healthy... !
Weirdo A-holes..